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What is considered a sports car for insurance coverage purposes?
For insurance coverage purposes, a sports car is typically considered any vehicle with enhanced performance features, such as a powerful engine, improved acceleration and handling capabilities, and upgraded brakes. Sports cars are usually more expensive to insure due to their higher risk of speed-related accidents. Skip to article
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Prachi is an insurance writer with a master’s degree in business administration. Through her writing, she hopes to help readers make smart and informed decisions about their finances. She loves to travel and write poetry.
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
Every auto insurance provider is different and each has their own standards for determining whether a vehicle should be classified as a sports car. Most have a very complex set of equations to decide if a car is a sports car.
Each insurance company has its own vehicle classification system that is typically based upon ISO (Insurance Services Office) VIN system or other company proprietary ranking systems.
Both foreign and domestic private passenger autos are classified as vehicle type – sports car, high performance, luxury, van, truck, convertible, etc. Each of the following items helps determine a vehicle’s classification as a sports car or other type of vehicle:
Engine type
Manufacturer
Body style
Engine size
Full model name
Model/series
Body
Engine
Cylinders
Restraint
Restraint indicator
Anti-lock
Transmission
Other options
Daytime running lights
Wheelbase
Class code
Anti-theft
Curb weight
Gross vehicle weight
Height
Horsepower
There is no standard definition of a sports car among insurance companies. A general definition among consumers typically is a small, high-powered car with two doors. However, such a simplistic definition is insufficient with so many different vehicle models available today.
In today’s car market, it is not uncommon to see high-powered vehicles with highly tuned engines with four doors.
The only way to know if an insurance company considers a vehicle is to contact them directly and find out. And independent of whether your car is considered a sports car, you will be offered different rates from different companies, so you should always compare insurance quotes from multiple carriers to find the best deal.
— Michelle Megna contributed to this story.
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Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
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John McCormick
Editorial Director
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
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Leslie Kasperowicz
Managing Editor
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
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Nupur Gambhir
Managing Editor
Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.
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Prachi is an insurance writer with a master’s degree in business administration. Through her writing, she hopes to help readers make smart and informed decisions about their finances. She loves to travel and write poetry.